Deck Stripping & Staining

[john]

Hello, Im about to strip & stain my deck..and just had a few questions.

I have some cracks in the wood that are about 1/8 inch think and about 1 inch deep in spots. Only like 3 or 4 boards are affected like that. The rest have even smaller cracks. I took a pic of one of the 1/8 inch cracks here -

Should I get a tube of wood cement and just fill in those cracks before staining ?

2 coats of stain seem recommended on most sites.. Some even say 2 coats of stain and 1 coat of paint on top. Any thoughts on that ? Seems like a little too much since most decks need to be re-stained once every 3 to 4 years anyway.

Also, about the stripping.. Has anyone used a pressure washer trying to strip a deck before ? Decent results ? Im debating whether or not to rent one out.

And not sure if I should put the paint stripper material on first before pressure washing . maybe a lot will come off without needing paint stripper ?

I remember when I used normal stripper last time and just used a garden hose, certain woods seem much harder to remove the stain from. Like these posts that support the deck -

Its like the stain gels into there forever.. Its been 5 years and it still looks like that. If I cant remove the stain from those posts, should I just paint over it ? Im planning on using a lighter colored paint this time. Light brownish.

An overview of the big task at hand -

any help is much appreciated.. you guys have always been a big help in the past.

John

[john]

***the last thread I made had soo many weird spaces in between.. So I re-posted it. Hopefully it wont be marked as spam.. sorry about that. ***

Hello, Im about to strip & stain my deck..and just had a few questions.

I have some cracks in the wood that are about 1/8 inch think and about 1 inch deep in spots. Only like 3 or 4 boards are affected like that. The rest have even smaller cracks. I took a pic of one of the 1/8 inch cracks here -

Should I get a tube of wood cement and just fill in those cracks before staining ?

2 coats of stain seem recommended on most sites.. Some even say 2 coats of stain and 1 coat of paint on top. Any thoughts on that ? Seems like a little too much since most decks need to be re-stained once every 3 to 4 years anyway.

Also, about the stripping.. Has anyone used a pressure washer trying to strip a deck before ? Decent results ? Im debating whether or not to rent one out.

And not sure if I should put the paint stripper material on first before pressure washing . maybe a lot will come off without needing paint stripper ?

I remember when I used normal stripper last time and just used a garden hose, certain woods seem much harder to remove the stain from. Like these posts that support the deck -

Its like the stain gels into there forever.. Its been 5 years and it still looks like that. If I cant remove the stain from those posts, should I just paint over it ? Im planning on using a lighter colored paint this time. Light brownish.

An overview of the big task at hand -

any help is much appreciated.. you guys have always been a big help in the past.

John

[Phisherman]

I would not. Unless the crack is big enough to catch a woman's heal spike, leave it alone. Fix any adjacent boards that have more than a

1/8 step to prevent a tripping hazard.

Follow the manufacturer's recommendations. I like to really soak the end grain--that's where water wicks in and possibly rots the wood.

I like the ideal of mechanical removal. If you sand, wear a good-fitting dust mask.

Wow. Your deck looks terrible with the peeling red (sorry!) I used Cabot Decking stain (color driftwood gray), the wear caused the high spots to show, highlighting the wood grain. It really looks like natural driftwood and I get compliments all the time asking me how it's done.

[john]

Should decks be stripped every time they are to be painted ? It just took me 3 days to strip mine with a powerwasher and I really dont want to do it again.

What if we just paint it every 2 years...is that fine ? What qualification makes it that we have to strip it ?

[Oren]

No.

Yes. None.

Old paint is scarped/feathered at the edges. New paint will go on smooth.

[Phisherman]

You should prep the surface per instructions on the can. Not all finishes are alike.

[RobertPatrick]

How big is the deck? 3 days seems like a lot.

[h]

Why on earth are you "painting" it instead of staining it? Stain just fades over time, it doesn't peel. No need to strip, ever,.